Review of Hill's Science Diet AdultSavory Turkey Entree

According to our data, this Hill's Science Diet recipe provides complete & balanced nutrition for the maintenance of adult cats. In other words, this formula is AAFCO approved.

Unlike other AAFCO approved cat foods which rely in laboratory testing to substantiate nutritional adequacy, this recipe has undergone feeding trials. In the pet food industry, feeding trials are often considered to be the superior testing method.

Ingredient Review

We'll begin this review of Hill's Science Diet Adult Savory Turkey Entree with a detailed discussion of the ingredients.

The first ingredient is water, which of course provides moisture.

The second ingredient is turkey. Although turkey is an excellent protein source, raw turkey contains more than 60% moisture. After cooking, the relative meat contribution of turkey is dramatically reduced. Therefore, it's important to ensure that other meat sources are included within the first few ingredients to ensure the product derives most of its protein from meat.

The third ingredient is turkey giblets. Turkey giblets include turkey hearts, gizzards, lungs, livers, ovaries, and other internal organs. These are all excellent animal derived protein and fat sources. Although they may not be appealing to humans, organ meats are one of the most nutritious components in any carnivores animal's diet.

The fourth ingredient is pork liver. Pork liver is an excellent organ meat which provides high quality protein and fat. In addition, pork liver provides many essential vitamins and minerals.

The fifth ingredient is salmon. Salmon is another excellent protein and omega-3 fatty acid source. As with other raw meats, salmon contains a substantial amount of moisture and therefore the relative meat contribution of salmon is dramatically reduced after cooking.

Because ingredients are listed in order of pre-cooked weight, the remaining ingredients in Hill's Science Diet Adult Savory Turkey Entree are not as important as the first five ingredients.

However, collectively they still have a significant impact on the overall quality of the product. Therefore, we'll continue discussing the remaining ingredients in this Hill's Science Diet recipe.

Next we have rice. Rice is a gluten-free carbohydrate source. As long as the bran and germ of the grain are intact, rice can provide a notable amount of fiber and nutrition. However, because the type of rice ("brown" or "white") is not specified, we cannot make this determination.

The next ingredient is pork by-products. By-products are defined by AAFCO as the "non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals." Thus, pork by-products contain nearly all parts of pork which are typically not consumed by humans. These parts include the liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, blood, intestine, bone, etc.

Like other meat by-products, pork by-products are considered controversial, mainly because they are inexpensive ingredients which consumers have equated with slaughterhouse waste. However, manufactures and many experts claim that animal by-products are unjustly criticized. Proponents state that "named" by-products, such as pork by-products, supply many important nutrients required by cats.

Then we have corn starch. Corn starch is derived from the endosperm of the corn kernel. Typically, corn starch is used as a binder in kibble.

Moving on, we have powdered cellulose. Powdered cellulose is produced from minuscule pieces of wood pulp and plant fibers. Other than its fiber content, powdered cellulose lacks any nutritional contribution.

Moving on with this review, we have wheat flour. Wheat flour is produced by grinding uncooked wheat into a powder. In addition to dietary fiber, wheat flour provides various vitamins, minerals, and plant based protein.

Wheat is considered a controversial ingredient because of it's protein content. Plant based proteins degrade the overall protein quality in the product. In addition, many people believe wheat is one of the most common ingredients to cause food allergies or intolerance. However, grains such as wheat are typically low offenders in comparison to certain protein sources such as beef.

The next ingredient in this review is chicken fat. Fat is an important part of your cats diet, chicken fat in particular is an outstanding source of omega-6 fatty acids.

Our next ingredient is corn gluten meal. Corn gluten meal is a by-product from the production of various corn products (corn starch, corn syrup, etc). It's very high in protein (nearly 60% protein) and therefore can significant boost the protein content of the product. Because plant based proteins such as corn gluten meal are inferior to meat based proteins (lack many essential amino acids), they are not suitable substitutes.

chicken is the next ingredient in this recipe, which is an excellent source of protein and fat.

Next on the list is natural chicken liver flavor. As the name implies, natural chicken liver flavor provides chicken liver flavor to the product. This particular flavor is derived from natural sources which may or may not include real chicken liver.

The next ingredient in this recipe is natural flavor. Natural flavor enhances the flavor of the product. The difference between natural and artificial flavoring is that natural flavoring starts from a plant or animal whereas artificial flavoring is entirely man-made.

Next we have guar gum. Guar gum (or guaran) is obtained from guar beans which have been dehusked, milled and screened. It's commonly used in wet food products as a thickening agent and provides a notable amount of dietary fiber.

The next ingredient is dicalcium phosphate. Dicalcium phosphate (misnomer for dibasic calcium phosphate) is commonly used in pet food and treats as a dietary calcium supplement. It can also be found in breakfast cereals, enriched flour, noodle products, pharmaceutical tablets, and toothpastes.

The remaining ingredients in this Hill's Science Diet Adult recipe are unlikely to affect the overall rating of the product.

Our analysis of the ingredients show that this product derives most of its protein from animal based sources. This is an excellent property because meat based protein contains all of the necessary amino acids required by cats. In our option, this is one of the most important properties to judge when reviewing pet food, therefore we believe this is an exceptional product in this regard.

Final Thoughts

In summary, we recognize that this product does not contain any artificial colors, artificial preservatives, or anonymous meat ingredients.

The official PawDiet rating for Hill's Science Diet Adult Savory Turkey Entree is 3.0 out of 5.